Civic

The leaves of the chinar trees were still green, signalling winter was yet to arrive. The chinar trees normally signal winter and snow when its leaves turn yellow and start falling. The people, and the administration, were thus totally unprepared for any unseasonal weather vagaries. But on November 5th, the weatherman in Srinagar issued an alert—possibility of heavy rain and widespread snow on November 7th across the region. The prediction was right on the nose. As the clock struck 9 am on November 7th, the crisp morning air was covered with thick snowflakes and within just two hours, Srinagar witnessed…

For several years now, ordinary citizens across the country with no end to their woes around poor roads and potholes have taken creative routes and come up with the most innovative ideas to make their dissent heard. For instance, Bengaluru-based artiste Baadal Najundaswamy has, since 2014, been planting fake crocodiles, organizing non-commercial modeling-shoots or etching art around sunken or unattended manholes to attract government attention. In another instance, a truck driver ‘buried himself’ in a pothole, in September 2019 to protest against bad roads and potholes on ‘Greenland Chowkadi’, a service road adjacent to National Highway 27. The Rajkot-based man…

Traffic police notifies bus priority lane in ORR On Friday, the City Police Commissioner issued a notification prohibiting entry of other vehicles on the bus priority lane in ORR from Central Silk Board to Tin Factory and then towards Baiyyappanahalli. Only BMTC buses can use the lane, the notification said. Offenders will be booked under Section 177 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. They'll have to pay a fine of Rs 500 for the first offence and Rs 1000 for every subsequent one, said B R Ravikante Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The police also plans to write to the…

Before you light that garbage, beware! As per revised Chennai Solid Waste Management Bylaws 2019, residents and shopkeepers found burning garbage in their own premises will have to pay a fine of ₹500 and ₹2,000 respectively.  Furthermore, any resident who dumps garbage in a public place and burns it will have to pay a fine of ₹1,000. The fine for those who dump construction debris in a public place will be ₹2,000-₹5,000. The bylaws also state that it shall be the responsibility of owners of pets to clean up excrement. The bylaws have also included user charges for solid waste…

Translated by Krishna Kumar கடந்த அக்டோபர் மாதம் 29ஆம் தேதி ஒரு இரு வயது சிறுவன் ஆழ்குழாய் கிணற்றில் விழுந்து இறந்த சம்பவம் தமிழ்நாட்டையே உலுக்கி சோகத்தில் ஆழ்த்தியது. அரசின் சார்பில் அடுத்து தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள அனைத்து திறந்த கிணறுகள், மற்றும் ஆழ்குழாய்களை ஆவண படுத்தும் வேலைகள் நடந்து  வருகிறது. இதையொட்டி சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரியம், சென்னை வாசிகள் அனைவரையும் தங்கள் திறந்த கிணறுகள் மற்றும் ஆழ்குழாய்களை நவம்பர் மாத இறுதிக்குள் தங்களிடம் பதிவிடுமாறு கேட்டுக்கொண்டுள்ளது  நவம்பர் 1 அன்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்ட இந்த கணக்கெடுப்பு, மாநகரத்தில் எத்தனை ஆழ்குழாய்கள் தற்போது புழக்கத்தில் மற்றும் பழுது நிலையில் உள்ளன என்பதை பற்றிய அறிய உதவும். தற்போது இத்தகவல் அதிகாரிகளிடம் இல்லை. நீங்கள் திறந்த கிணறோ, அல்லது  ஆழ்குழாயோ வைத்திருக்கும் சென்னை  வாசியாக இருந்தால் சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரியத்தில் அதை பதிவிடுவது அவசியம். இதற்கான படிவம் இணையத்திலும், உங்கள் அருகில் உள்ள குடிநீர்…

Air quality in all 15 locations sampled from across the city between May and July 2019 was unhealthy, with levels of PM 2.5 in the worst affected areas nearly three times the national standard of 60 ug/m3, according to a study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu. The widespread nature of pollution and the fact that the samples were taken in summer highlights how the current pollution crisis is neither an isolated nor a seasonal incident. The study analysed 24-hour air samples for PM 2.5 and a host of heavy metals. The densely populated areas…

Chennai Corporation bags award for social innovation Chennai Corporation was bestowed with an award recognizing its social innovation initiatives. The award was for accelerating the transition towards a sustainable city through projects like Namma Chennai App and smart classrooms and was given by Governance Now, a public policy organization. Source: The Hindu Chennai Police launches "Thozhi" to counsel victims of child sex abuse 70 police women personnel have been assigned the role of  counsellors to child victims of sexual assault. The scheme known as "Thozhi" was launched by the city police commissioner A K Viswanathan. The 70 policewomen will be…

BBMP to take over all city lakes except three  All lakes in the city except Bellandur, Varthur, and Veerasandra will be handed over to the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), according to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister. Also, 628 acre of lake land that has been encroached, would be cleared. Bellandur and Varthur lakes are under the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority), and Veerasandra lake is with the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd). Currently, 169 out of 200 lakes in Bengaluru are under the BBMP. It will now take over 38 more lakes.…

Twenty six years ago, on 1st June 1993, the 74th Constitutional Amendment or Nagarapalika Act was effected to give “power to the people” in urban governance. Under the 74th CA, ward committees had to be set up in all municipal corporations with population over three lakh, to ensure decentralisation, citizen participation and accountability. In the municipal corporations of Karnataka, elected representatives have posed total resistance to the setting up and functioning of ward committees. In Bengaluru, with constant pressure from citizens, more than 50 percent of wards now have ward committee meetings, though infrequently. But how are these meetings being held?…

It has suffered decades of neglect: languishing in dilapidated condition for years and later ravaged by fire. But, Humayun Mahal in Chepauk, the world’s first-ever building constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, is now slated for a new lease of life.  The long, creaking sound of walls being drilled into echo across the construction site on a mid-October Friday morning. Scraping the plastering off a wall in the interior of the building, B Raju, a 49-year-old worker wipes the sweat off his face. “We are following the same traditional methods followed to construct the building over 240 years ago,”…